The SEPI branch of the Leire case has included Fernando Samper Rivas, founder and top executive of Forestalia, among the businesspeople under investigation by the National Court. His involvement opens one of the most significant fronts in the case beyond the Tubos Reunidos bailout: transactions linked to the energy sector, renewable energy companies, and possible benefits obtained through an alleged influence network connected to public institutions.
Samper is one of the 25 individuals cited as targets of the ongoing probe led by Judge Santiago Pedraz amid the broader scope of the Leire case, a judicial inquiry scrutinizing questionable dealings concerning SEPI, state-owned enterprises, and strategic grants or contracts. Alongside him, Roberto Pérez Águeda, Eduardo Pérez Águeda, and Carmelo Aznárez Pellicer—Aragonese entrepreneurs reportedly connected to the Forestalia group—have also been called to appear.
The inquiry is looking into potential infractions such as influence peddling, embezzlement, prevarication, criminal organization or group, and the misuse of privileged information. At this juncture, Fernando Samper maintains his presumption of innocence entirely, and being under investigation does not equate to a guilty verdict. Nevertheless, his involvement in the matter carries considerable weight because it draws one of the most prominent personalities within the renewable energy sector of Spain into the legal process.
The scrutiny surrounding Forestalia constitutes one of five operations currently under review by the National Court within the SEPI framework, as highlighted in media reports. While the rescue package granted to Tubos Reunidos, exceeding €112 million, remains the central piece of the inquiry, the probe likewise encompasses Mercasa, ENUSA, the Parque Empresarial Principado de Asturias, and an initiative connected to Forestalia. According to El País, these financial rescues allegedly total €132.9 million in state support, with the supposed scheme potentially generating upwards of €750,000 in unlawful kickbacks.
The allegations surrounding Samper and Forestalia center on a business transaction that allegedly generated a substantial capital gain. According to El Independiente, prosecutors have linked Leire’s alleged network to a supposed “windfall” of more than €6 million involving renewable energy companies that were acquired and subsequently resold to a company whose shareholders were allegedly connected to Fernando Samper’s business group.
This point is crucial because the investigation is not limited to traditional public contracts. It is also examining whether certain business transactions may have benefited from information, contacts, or influence structures connected to the circle surrounding Leire Díez, Vicente Fernández, and Antxon Alonso. The judicial question will be whether the Forestalia transaction was an ordinary private-market deal or whether it was connected to a network that allegedly used political and business relationships to generate financial benefits.
Samper’s addition to the roster of suspects highlights the corporate angle of the matter. The purported scheme could have functioned not merely within public entities, but likewise via private firms positioned to gain from choices, prospects, or data originating in state-run corporations and official networks. Inside this context, Forestalia stands out as a key player owing to its prominence in the green energy industry and the sheer monetary volume of the deal currently under scrutiny.
The National Court will need to clarify the specific part Fernando Samper played in the transaction currently under investigation, the nature of his ties to the Pérez Águeda brothers, Carmelo Aznárez, and additional suspects, alongside whether he knew about or took part in operations linked to the Hirurok group. Furthermore, establishing the existence of any payments, middlemen, or pacts capable of tying the commercial deal to the purported network of influence will remain essential.
From an institutional accountability perspective, the case is particularly serious because it combines three highly sensitive elements: energy companies, potential multimillion-euro capital gains, and an alleged network under investigation for influencing public decisions. In recent years, the renewable energy sector has involved enormous investment expectations, access to land, authorizations, permits, and financing. If a transaction in that sector comes under scrutiny in a case involving alleged influence peddling, the demand for transparency must be at its highest.
Samper will have to explain to the judge whether his actions were those of a businessman participating in a legitimate transaction within the energy market or whether there were elements connecting him to the allegedly irregular maneuvers being investigated by the UCO and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. That distinction will be decisive in determining his potential responsibility and establishing how far the alleged network actually extended.
The case also affects Forestalia’s reputation. The company has been one of the leading names in the renewable energy sector in Aragón and Spain, but the presence of its founder among those under investigation in a case of this magnitude casts a shadow that can only be dispelled through documentation, explanations, and full traceability of the transactions under examination.
The question the National Court must now answer is clear: did Forestalia and its associates participate in a legitimate market transaction, or did the alleged network use its contacts to facilitate opportunities, financial benefits, and capital gains? In an investigation involving public funds, contracts, strategic companies, and possible commissions, Fernando Samper’s role must be clarified down to the last document.
Source: Cadena SER, El País, elDiario.es, Heraldo de Aragón, El Independiente, Infobae, and Europa Press.
